Thimble ladle support lock assembly



Nov. 26, 1968 A. F. CHUPKA I 3,412,904

THIMBLE LADLE SUPPORT LOCK ASSEMBLY Filed July 21, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Auausr F. CHLJPKA W aZLM un-awe.

ATTORNEYQ 4 INVENTOR 1968 A. F. CHUPKA 3,412,904

THIMBLE LADLE SUPPORT LOCK ASSEMBLY Filed July 21, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR Auqus'r F. OHUPKA ATTORNEYS Nov. 26, 1968 A. F. CHUPKA3,412,904

THIMBLE LADLE SUPPORT LOCK ASSEMBLY Filed July Zl, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5ATTORNEYS United States Patent O "ice 3,412,904 THIMBLE LADLE SUPPORTLOCK ASSEMBLY August F. Chupka, 3516 Lewis St., Middletown, Ohio 45042Filed July 21, 1967, Ser. No. 655,219 Claims. (Cl. 222166) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A ladle support ring having lock means automaticallymoving into locking engagement with a supported ladle upon tilting ofthe ring to prevent the ladle falling from the ring.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to thefield of ladles and more specifically, to the field of thimble-typeladies and support ring means therefor.

Thimble ladles have long been employed in the iron and steel industryfor dumping slag and other materials. The conventional devicespreviously employed have consisted of a thimble ring mounted upon arailroad car or buggy and having a circular opening for receiving a fullladle deposited in the opening by a crane or the like. Means areprovided for tilting the ladle to dump the slag upon the movement of thecar to the slag dump. Unfortunately, the ladle frequently falls out ofits thimble ring and into the slag dump. Since such accidents can resultin a fall of 25 to 30 feet, the ladle is often damaged beyond repair.Moreover, the ladle, even if undamaged by the fall, is often out ofcommission for weeks while the slag pile cools to such an extent as toenable the workmen to remove the ladle. During the cooling period, theladle is subjected to warpage due to different rates of cooling for itsdifferent parts. It is also necessary that residual slag which hashardened in the ladle be removed from the ladle at a resultant high costin time and expense.

While certain of the prior art devices make provision for the use ofmanual means for locking the ladle in the thimble ring, no one prior tothis invention, has been able to provide a satisfactory means forautomatically locking the ladle in the thimble ring when the ring istilted to pour the contents from the ladle and for automaticallyunlocking the ladle when the ring is returned to a horizontal positionso as to enable easy removal of the ladle from the ring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, a primary object of thisinvention to provide a new and improved means for locking a ladle withina ladle support ring when the ring is tilted to pour the contents fromthe ladle.

The primary object of this invention is achieved by the provision of aladle supported within a thimble ring and including a lug extending fromthe ladle and located beneath the lower surface of the ring. Lock platesare mounted on the ring and are normally biased toward each other toassume a position above the lug so that the ladle cannot be removed fromthe ring. However, a wedge cam engages portions of the lock plates tomove them to an open position so that the ladle can be removed from thering when the ring is in its normal horizontal position. Consequently,when the ring is tilted to allow pouring of the contents of the ladle,the ladle is automatically locked in position by the movement of theplates to their locking position above the lug so that the ladle cannotaccidentally fall from the thimble ring.

3,412,904 Patented Nov. 26, 1968 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 isa front elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 1 andpartially broken away for clarity;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment withportions broken away for clarity;

FIGURE 5 is a front elevational view of a portion of the preferredembodiment illustrating the primary parts in separated relationship;

FIGURE 6 is a bottom perspective view of a modified form of theinvention; and

FIGURE 7 is a lower plan view of the modified embodiment of FIGURE 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The preferred embodiment of theinvention, generally designated 20, is illustrated in FIGURE 1 andcomprises a thimble ladle 22 which is matingly received into a generallyround support thimble ring 24 which is mounted upon a railroad buggy orcarriage 26.

Thimble ladle 22 normally receives molten slag or other material at apoint remote from the carriage 26 and is loaded onto the carriage bymeans of a crane or other means represented by support chains 28illustrated in FIG- URE 5. Thimble ring 24 is provided with a centralcoaxial opening 30 (FIGURE 5) and has aligned stub shafts 32 extendingfrom opposite sides thereon. Support for the thimble ring 24 is providedby pinion gears 34 respectively attached to each of the stub shafts 32and resting upon first and second support racks 36 as illustrated inFIG- URES 1 and 3. The support racks 36 are attached to the carriage 26in a conventional manner.

Opening 30 in thimble ring 24 is defined by a conical surface 38.Thimble ladle 22 includes a primary or body portion 40 which has aplurality of support lugs or blocks 42 attached to and extending fromits midportion as illustrated in FIGURE 5. Support plate 44 also extendsradially outward adjacent the top portion of body portion 40. The outersurface of support lugs 42 mates with the conical surface 38 definingopening 30 and the lower surface of support plate 44 rests upon theupper surface of thimble ring 24 so that the thimble ladle 22 issupported by the contacting portions of support lugs 42 and plate 44with ring 24. The support arrangement enables the easy insertion of thethimble ladle into the thimble ring regardless of the expansion orcontraction of the ladle due to the heat of the contents therein. Alocking lug plate 46 extends radially outward from body portion 40 ofthe ladle below support lugs or locks 42 as shown in FIGURE 5. Lockingplate 46 is spaced a distance beneath the bottom surface of ring 24 whenthe ladle is supported within the ring as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3.

Four right angle support brackets 48 extend downwardly and inwardly fromthe periphery of the bottom portion of thimble ring 24 to form supportmeans for first and second look plates 50 and 52 respectively as bestillustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. Each lock plate has a central guide slot54 into which a pin 56 attached to the lower surface of ring 24 extendsin loose fit and a spreader lug 58 extends downwardly from each end ofthe respective lock plates 50 and 52. A bolt 60 slidably extends throughthe opposed spreader lugs as best shown in FIGURE 2. Spring means 62surrounds each bolt 60 exteriorly of each of the spreader lugs 58 so asto bias the respective opposed spreader lugs of each pair inwardlytoward each other in a manner obvious from inspection of FIGURE 2. Pin56 and slot 54 serve to guide the respective lock plates and brackets 48serve to support the lock plates for sliding I movement.

When ring 24 is in its horizontal position illustrated in FIGURE 3, eachof the opposed spreader lugs 58 engages a wedge cam 64 which biasses thelugs outwardly against the compressive force of the springs 62. Each ofthe wedge earns 64 is attached to the carriage 26 in a fixed manner.When thimble ladle 22 is tilted to its discharge position illustrated inFIGURE 4, the spreader lugs 58 are lifted from contact with wedge cam 64so that spring means 62 biasses the spreader lugs and their respectivelock plates 50 and 52 inwardly so that the edges of the lock plates arelocated above the top surface of the locking lug plates 46 as bestillustrated in FIGURE 4 so that the thimble ladle 22 cannot fall fromthe thimble support ring 24. Conventional means 66 is employed forrotating the ladle and the ring to the pouring position illustrated inFIGURE 4.

In operation, ladle 22 is filled with slag or other material 68 and islowered into the empty thimble ring 24 in the manner illustrated inFIGURE 5 by means of chains 28 or the like. The spreader lugs 58 areengaged with wedge cam 64 so that the thimble ladle 22 is easily loweredinto position illustrated in FIGURE 3 and can also be lifted from thethimble ring 24 at any time if desired for any reason. However, when thethimble ladle 22 is moved from the position illustrated in FIGURE 3 toits FIGURE 4 position, the spreader lugs 58 are disengaged from can 64and moved to their locking position above the locking lug plate 46 sothat the titlting movement of the spring 24 and ladle 22 cannot possiblyresult in the removal of ladle 22 from ring 24. Nevertheless, when thering returns to its FIGURE 3 position from the FIGURE 4 position, thespreader lugs 58 reengage cam 64 so that the empty thimble ladle 22 canthen be removed from the thimble ring 24.

FIGURES 6 and 7 illustrate a modification of the embodiment illustratedin FIGURES 1 through 5 wherein the first and second lock plates 50 and52 are pivotally conected at 70 to thimble ring 24, and only one pair ofspreader lugs is employed as shown in FIGURE 6. It will be obvious thatthe embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7 will operate inessentially the same manner as the first discussed embodiment. The slots54 are slanted to accommodate the rotational movement of each of thelock plates as shown in FIGURE 7.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7 is primarily for use withlighter loads and smaller thimbles than is the first embodiment. This istrue because the second embodiment does not provide as large a lockingarea of plates 50 and 52 in locking engagement with the locking lugplates 46 as is possible with the first discussed embodiment. However,the structure of FIGURES 6 and 7 is quite satisfactory for the majorityof applications.

It is, therefore, obvious that this invention provides a new andimproved ladle and support means combination in which the lock plates 50and 52 eifectively lock the ladle within the thimble support ring 24when the ring is tilted to pour the contents from the ladle. Therefore,the problem of ladles accidentally falling from the ring during pouringhas been completely solved and eliminated by this invention.

Various modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than isspecifically described without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device comprising a support for a pivotabie thimble ring mountedfor pivotable and lateral movement on the support means and a ladleadapted to be removably received in said thimble ring,

locking means associated with said thimble ring for locking said ladleto said thimble ring in response to movement of said thimble ring from aloading position wherein said ring is orientated in a substantiallyhorizontal plane to an unloading position wherein said ring is orientedin an inclined plane so that said ladle cannot fall from said thimblering when said ring and ladle are pivoted to said unloading position topour the contents from said ladle.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said locking means include first andsecond lock plates movable to a blocking position with respect to alocking lug plate on said ladle wherein said ladle is locked to saidthimble ring and wherein said lock plates are movable to a secondposition in non-blocking relationship with said lug plate whereby saidladle can be lifted from said thimble ring.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said thimble ring includes an openingformed with a tapered conical surface and wherein the exterior of saidladle has spaced plural blocks having outer surfaces which mate with theconical surface of said opening when said ladle is supported by saidthimble ring.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein said first and second lock plates areurged into their blocking position by spring means which urges saidplates toward each other.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said first and second look platesinclude spaced spreader lugs extending from said first and second platesrespectively to embracingly engage a wedge cam mounted on said supportso that said cam moves said first and second lock plates to their secondposition against the bias of said spring means when said thimble ring isin its loading position.

6. The device of claim 5 additionally including first and second spacedcoaxial stub shafts extending from said thimble ring and terminating infirst and second pinion gears supported by first and second rack meansto provide a support for the thimble ring and ladle structure.

7. The device of claim 5 wherein said combination includes two pairs ofspaced spreader lugs located on opposite sides of said thimble ring.

8. The device of claim 5 wherein said first and second lock plates arepivotally connected to said ring on one end and said spreader lugs arerespectively mounted on the other end of said lock plates.

9. A device including first and second supporting means having a thimblering supported thereon by a first and second shaft means attached toopposite sides of said ring and a ladle removably supported within saidring, an abutment on the outer surface of said ladle located beneathsaid thimble ring when said ladle is resting in said thimble ring; firstand second lock plates supported for reciprocation between first andsecond positions on said thimble ring wherein said lock plates when insaid first position assume a blocking position between said abutment andthe lower surface of said ring to prevent the removal of said ladle fromsaid thimble ring and wherein when said lock plates when in their secondposition permit removal of said ladle from said thimble ring; springmeans for biassing said lock plates to said first position when saidthimble ring is tilted at an angle with respect to the horizontal andcam means for overcoming the urging of said spring means to cause saidlock plates to assume their second position when said thimble ring isoriented in a horizontal plane.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein said first and second supporting meanscomprises rack means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,031,585 7/1912 Rees et al.222166 1,749,083 3/1930 Morris et a1 222166 2,683,295 7/1954 Howlett etal 222--166 3,003,206 10/ 1961 Peras 222166 WALTER SOBIN, PrimaryExaminer.

